Army Alaska will get a new name and a new logo Monday. The union representing Alaska Airlines pilots is disputing claims of a pilot shortage. And a tax bill before the governor seeks to address a rise in tobacco use by teenagers.
There’s more news this week in “Five Things to Know.”
Army pours resources into Alaska bases
On Monday, the Army formally re-designates U.S. Army Alaska and two brigade teams as the 11th Airborne Division and the 1st and 2nd Brigade Combat Teams, 11th Airborne Division.
Along with the new names comes a new insignia — the No. 11 encircled in red and held aloft by a pair of angelic white wings.
The branding is part of a larger effort to improve morale and better reflect the role of soldiers in Alaska, after a spike in suicides at Alaska installations.
There are more changes coming to Alaska’s Army bases — at Fort Wainwright, Fort Greely and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Family life counselors will be arriving this month to provide annual wellness checks for every soldier. The check-ins will occur as the Army adds mental-health specialists and more support from clergy and chaplains.
The Army also will make it easier for soldiers to get off the base in their free time by improving shuttle services.
The shuttles will now go to gyms, restaurants and other stops popular with service members.
Union disputes claims of pilot shortage
The union that represents Alaska Airline pilots is disputing claims that a national pilot shortage is behind flight delays and cancellations at Alaska Airlines and other commercial carriers.
Alaska Airlines and the Air Lines Pilots Association are in protracted contract talks with no signs of agreement.
The union, which represents 64,000 commercial pilots in the U.S. and Canada, is claiming that some commercial airlines are limiting hiring to inexperienced pilots for less pay. The union asserts that there are more than two pilots available for every position in demand.
But United CEO Scott Kirby said in a shareholder meeting that “there simply aren’t enough pilots, at least for the next five-plus years.”
The union is calling on the federal government to invest in U.S. pilot education and training by subsidizing student loans at aviation colleges. The union also wants training and education improvements for commercial airline pilots to align standards with other skilled professions.
Vaping and teen tobacco use
A newly released study points to vaping for a rise in tobacco use by young people.
The journal “Pediatrics Pharmacology” reports that more than a million teenagers started vaping tobacco from 2017-2019. The increase reverses a long-term decline in tobacco use by minors.
Instead of smoking cigarettes, teens are turning to vaping systems with liquid tobacco cartridges. The cartridges may be fruit or mint-flavored.
“The popularity of Juul in particular led a new generation of 14- to 17-year-olds to get hooked,” one of the study’s authors told Axios.
The Alaska Legislature recently adopted a 45% excise tax on vaping systems that is designed in part to discourage young people from buying the devices.
The bill has been forwarded to the governor’s office for his signature. The bill also raises the tobacco use age from 19 to 21 to align with federal requirements.
When asked Friday whether Gov. Mike Dunleavy will sign the bill, Shannon Mason, spokesperson for the governor said in an email: “We don’t usually say if the governor will or will not sign a bill until he officially has it on his desk. If I hear anything more, I will let you know!”
Oil companies exit the Arctic
Major oil companies have had a frigid response about drilling in Alaska’s Arctic.
Chevron paid $10 million last week to break its lease to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Now 88 Energy of Australia has announced that it too will give up its drilling rights in the area.
Chevron has stated that Arctic production does not align with the overarching goals for its energy portfolio.
The company received a refund for the $770,000 it spent in 2021 for a federal oil lease in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The decisions to back off from Arctic oil drilling have occurred since the Biden administration suspended future lease sales in the area pending an environmental review.
The two oil giants already held leases that were grandfathered in, but they were under pressure from activist shareholders raising environmental concerns.
The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority now is the major leaseholder in Alaska’s Arctic. The state-owned agency bought seven leases in 2021.
Lawsuit over fishing rights
The state of Alaska and the federal government are at odds over fishing rights in a river that runs through the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge.
At issue is a decision by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to allow fishing for all Alaskans on the Kuskokwim River where it passes through the national refuge.
The federal government had restricted fishing to local communities that largely are home to Alaska Natives who harvest the fish for subsistence.
Indian Country Today reported that the Biden administration is now suing the state for opening up fishing to all Alaskans during periods when it was limited to local communities because of a decline in fish populations.
